Thoughts and observations about Modesto and Stanislaus County

MID Ratepayer Wants Safe and Tasty Local Produce and is Willing to Pay for It

By Joan Rutachow

I would to thank Vance Kennedy for his comments this morning. I would like to comment on an article by Glen Wild that

Agriculture (Photo credit: thegreenpages)

appeared in the Modesto Bee on Sunday, April 21st –

Item #5 – “Those urban residents, the vast majority of our district customers, have their power bills inflated so that the MID irrigators do not have to pay for the cost of service. It is estimated to amount to at least 3% of their power bill”.

Speaking for myself, a private citizen, I am happy to pay 3% of my MID bill for the irrigators! Our irrigators raise livestock, grow hay and food crops. They wake up in the middle of the night to irrigate. They supply my food and the food for hundreds of thousands of people. A 3% fee is a good investment! 3% of a $50 MID bill is $1.50; 3% of a $100 MID bill is $3.00, 3% of a $150 MID bill is $4.50. 3% is a small price to pay for all of the services our farmers provide.

Let us not forget that the farmers subsidize the ratepayers. Their water recharges the aquifer and agricultural products bring millions of dollars to our district. Again, 3% of my MID bill is money well spent!